About Me

I write on The Bootstrapped Founder because bootstrapping is a desirable, value- and wealth-generating way of running a company, and still many people shy away from it.

I wrote about how we founded, ran, and sold FeedbackPanda in under two years. I’ve been sharing the learning from my journey over the last decade in my guide Zero to Sold

In the years of running FeedbackPanda, I learned how to run a self-funded company, and I want to encourage other entrepreneurs to see bootstrapping as a viable option. Not every business needs venture capital to succeed, and I claim that most businesses are better off without investor expectations of hyper-growth.

Founder mental health is an often-neglected facet of the bootstrapped journey. I want to share the methods I have developed to become aware of emotional distress and my reframing techniques to turn negative feelings into positive actions.

I share my knowledge on this blog, the Bootstrapped Founder podcast, and the Bootstrapped Founder Newsletter. If you want to follow my own founder journey, follow me on Twitter.

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Together with Danielle, I have given this talk at Microconf Europe 2019 just after selling our business:

You can find podcasts and interviews with me on Podchaser. If you want to have me as a guest, reach out via Email or MatchMaker.fm.

• Smart Passive Income Podcast: SPI 517: The Best Way to Start a Successful Business Today with Arvid Kahl (October 2021, hosted by Pat Flynn)
• Indie Hackers:
  • Vital Learnings from Bootstrapping and Selling a $55k a Month Business with Arvid Kahl of FeedbackPanda (late 2019, hosted by Courtland Allen)
  • Actionable Steps for Building the Right Business with Arvid Kahl (Mid 2021, hosted by Courtland Allen)
• Alchemist Camp: Scaling an Elixir/Vue SaaS to $55k MRR in under 2 years with Arvid Kahl (hosted by Mark Wilbur)
• Built to Sell Radio: How To Scratch Your Itch (hosted by John Warrillow, I appear with Danielle Simpson) — video version available
• Rogue Startups: RS209: $0 to $55K MRR in 2 Years, Then an Exit with Arvid Kahl and Danielle Simpson (hosted by Craig Hewitt, I appear with Danielle Simpson)
• Product Journey: Finding Validation with Arvid Kahl of FeedbackPanda (hosted by Ben Mann and Noah Bragg)
• No CS Degree: Learning to code with no CS degree and making $55k a month (interviewed by Pete Codes)
• Balance the Grind: Balancing the Grind With Arvid Kahl, Founder of FeedbackPanda & Blogger at The Bootstrapped Founder (interviewed by Hao Nguyen)
• Startups for The Rest of Us: From Zero to $55k MRR to Exit (in 2 Years) with Feedback Panda (interviewed by Rob Walling, I appear with Danielle Simpson)
• UI Breakfast: Episode 166: Continuous Product Validation with Arvid Kahl (interviewed by Jane Portman)
• Writer on the Side: Ep. 049 Over $8,400 in 1 Week from His First Book (interviewed by Hassan Osman)
• Makerpad Workshop: Taking Your Business From Zero to Sold with Arvid Kahl pt.1 (with Tom Osman)
• The SaaS Podcast: Bootstrapping a SaaS from Zero to $55K MRR in 2 Years – with Arvid Kahl [259] (with Omer Khan)
• Bruno Talks With: [Premiere, Episode #1] Bruno Talks With Arvid Kahl • Give value in order to get value (with Bruno Raljic)
• Ideas Inspire Action: # 11 Arvid Kahl – How to build a bootstrapped business with $55.000 MRR in 2 years, plus finding a niche and new business opportunities (with Tom Schöntaube)
• Forging Ahead: Audience First with Arvid Kahl (with Thomas Sullivan)
• Hypefury Presents: #5 Arvid Kahl on how to validate and build a profitable business (with Yannick Veys)
• SaaS Pirates: Building and Selling a SaaS – Arvid Kahl of PermanentLink (with Mike Slaats)
• Growth Leap Podcast: From launch to successful exit in less than two years with bootstrapped startup expert Arvid Kahl (with Michel Gagnon)
• The business and product of writing nonfiction, with Arvid Kahl and Rob Fitzpatrick (with, obviously, Rob Fitzpatrick)
• The Audience Explorer: Arvid Kahl: Your audience is already out there! (with Matthias Bohlen)
• The Entrepreneurial Coder: #43 – Arvid Kahl – How to Build and Sell a SaaS Company (with Ryan Chenkie)
• Indie Feast: Extended: Lessons learned bootstrapping and selling a $55k p/m SaaS (with James McKiven)
• Searching for SaaS: EP16: Author Arvid Kahl On The Audience-First Approach To Starting A Business (with Josh Ho and Nathan Bosscher)
• Startup Shit: Arvid Kahl from TheBootstrappedFounder – Audience Building, Inspiring Others, and Tiring Sacrifices (with Dan “roxkstar74” Giaime)

I did an Ask Me Anything on Indie Hackers in 2020. And another one in 2021.

If you’re interested in a consultation for your business, please reach out to me through the Consulting page.